Plona’s first WKU team will be ready to roll

It is a new age in college basketball and, generally speaking, it is an age in which older, stronger, more seasoned teams have the most success over the long haul.

John Calipari learned this the hard way in March, when his Kentucky Wildcats were stunned by Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament — a result which helped set in motion Cal’s departure from Big Blue Nation to, of all places, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

No such problems should present themselves for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in 2024-25, as former WKU assistant Hank Plona takes the helm from Steve Lutz, who accepted the head job at Oklahoma State after leading the Toppers to their first CUSA Tournament championship and their first NCAA tourney appearance since 2013.

While the personnel situation is fluid at Western — just like it is all over the nation in these changing times of NIL and the NCAA transfer portal — according to the latest Hilltopper Roster Tracker online by The Towel Rack, the roster for the coming season should be filled with experienced players who know how to win, and this will be a feather in Plona’s cap as WKU looks to build on last season’s success.

Among the top expected returnees is 6-foot-3 senior guard Khristian Lander. The lefty sharpshooter, who originally signed with Indiana, averaged 9.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2 assists per game last season, shooting 41% from the floor, 35% from distance, and 75% from the foul stripe.

Also expected to return is dynamic 6-7 senior forward Tyrone Marshall, who was the Hilltoppers’ best performer in a first-round NCAA tourney loss to Marquette, scoring 21 points on 6-of-8 floor shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. For the season, Marshall averaged 8.8 points and 2.2 assists, while leading the team in blocks (36) and steals (50).

Another potential returnee is 6-2 senior combo guard Don McHenry, who led the team in scoring (15.1 ppg), while shooting 46% from the floor, including 36% from 3-point range. McHenry was a stalwart, meanwhile, from the free-throw stripe, sinking a team-best 86%.

Expected to be a significant front court contributor will be 6-8 senior forward Babacar Faye, who had a strong finish last season. Faye averaged 7.5 points per game, shot a team-high 61% from the field, and made 69% from the foul line.

Enoch Kalambay, a 6-6 senior guard, is coming off an up-and-down season, but could be a solid contributor in his final collegiate season, after averaging 6.2 points and shooting 50% from the field in 2023-24.

Among the big surprises last season was the performance of 6-5 shooting guard Teagan Moore, who, as a true freshman, came on like gangbusters down the stretch. For the season, he averaged 6.2 points per game, shot 48% from the field, nailed 80% of his foul shots, and provided a toughness that became contagious.

Among other potential returnees are 6-11 redshirt junior Fallou Diagne, who appeared in only five games due to injury; senior guard Terrion Murdix, who redshirted in 2023-24 due to injury; and 5-11 senior guard Jalen Jackson, who is petitioning the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility after suffering a season-ending injury in December, 2023.

Another pleasant surprise last season was 5-10 point guard Jack Edelen, who as a freshman walk-on provided a high degree of backcourt stability at both ends of the floor. Other returning walk-ons include senior forward Jaylen Dorsey and senior guard Tyler Olden.

Lost to graduation was dependable 6-11 center Rodney Howard (9.9 ppg). Entering the transfer portal were swingman Dontaie Allen (8.2 ppg), the team’s best 3-point shooter (40%), little-used forward BJ Marable, and guard Brandon Newman (10.1 ppg), who followed Lutz to Oklahoma State.

Western will feature five signees, including 6-11 senior center Leeroy Odiahi, a backup at Old Dominion (1.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg); 6-11 junior power forward Blaise Keita, late of Nebraska; three-star 6-5 freshman swingman Kade Unseld out of hometown Warren Central High School; three-star freshman shooting guard Julius Thedford out of Whitehaven High School in Memphis, Tenn.; along with with 6-2 combo guard Braxton Bayless, who averaged 11.5 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.1 rebounds last season at Niagara.

If everyone sticks around (and that’s, of course, a big “if” in today’s culture), it says here that Plona will be able to formulate a unit capable of challenging for the CUSA regular season championship and repeating last season’s success in the conference tournament. This is a talented bunch that should certainly be old enough, strong enough, and seasoned enough to succeed at a high level.

It will be intriguing, indeed, to watch the development of Plona’s first WKU team.